Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-10
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1887.
The Streets.

sf The Streets.
For the thousandth time, and albeit
at the eleventh hour, we would call
attention to the imperative necessity
of doing more-a great deal more than
is being done to put the streets in or
der before the winter rains reach us.
We have city council composed OF
most select and admirable gentle
men, whether viewed from the point OF
private life or personal business. But
we must cay, as contemplated for the
kldermanic standpoint they are not u
success. And these gentleman will
perhaps bear with little adverse crit
icism in view Of these facts-frst, that
ever since the present era Of growth
and development began in this city,
they, or those whose political assigns
they are, have dominated Los Angeles.
lSecondly, men of this particular bias
came into power, on loud cry of re-
form and progress. This cry was
made in spite of the fact that for
ten years the city and county had
been dead as door nail. There was
little business done and no revenues
10 be obtained from business, or from
any industry. The population was
sparse and money scarce as the pro-
verbal "hen's teeth" Under those cir
cumstances our Democratic Aldermen
1t ruegled along as best they could to
keep the city's head above the deep
waters of hard-times which lasted SO
long. When the city did get an inn
petus of growth and prosperity, and
money rolled in here in Pactolean
streams from many sources, when
business began to pay and industries
to be remunerative that party was
retired amid much criticism on the
part Of the press and public. Streets.
public buildings and what not were
all pointed at as disgrace to the city.
This ridicule was effective in placing
the reins of power in new hands, and
one Republican council has handed
the city over to another. while the
population has grown in all directions
and at a rapid pace. Wealth has ac-
cumulated as fast as population, and
now alter more than half q dozen
years of unexampled prosperity, with
a city of nearly seventy thousand
souls instead OF ten thousand, and
with most prosperous community in
place Of that so Strengthened financi-
ally at the beginning of the new
epoch, what is there to show for the
change? There is a handsome city
instead of the little hamlet
.f the past; but all that has been
done is the result of purely private
enterprise. Newcomers and oldtimers
have Wed with each other in the
building OF the city. Private resi-
den ces and business blocks have
arisen as if by magic. The churches
and other societies have put their
sho ulder to the wheel and helped
manfully in the work. But when we
reach the sphere of public works We
reach a hollow body with nothing in
it but wind. The city is almost abso-
lutely where it was in the memorable
year Of 1880, when the dry bones be-
gan to move and show signs of life.
In one department there has been
some improvement-the schools are
greatly improved. But here we may
be allowed the reflection, there has
always been very large leaven of
Democratic influence. Of matters
directly connected with the City
Council, the Fire Department may be
singled out as the one oasis of i'm
provement in the desert waste
of mossbacked neglect. Here again
we find the powerful influence of a
patriotic and intelligent Democrat.
Taking public buildings, and we find
the City Hall, for which money was
voted so long ago we have forgotten
the date, and the sum total of achieve
ment in the line OF building is that
abortion and disgrace on Second street
-an eyesore to behold and such a
ramshackle, in spite OF its brand-new
exterior, that boys dig their way out
of the prison cells with a penknife.
The county set in long posterior to the
city to get courthouse, and despite
the fact that their undertaking is four
times greater, the county will be
housed before the city.
To return to the starting point, the
streets are to-day about as they we're
seven years ago. There are a few
miles of sidewalk, but they are the
result Of private effort rather than OF
public agitation, and it is not at all
Ehe result Of aldermanic energy or
Wndom. Then the streets proper;